Çocukların Gözünden Ebeveynlerinin Dijital Teknoloji Kullanımı

Year 2025, Volume: 10 Issue: 1, 54 - 69, 20.03.2025

Emine Ela Şimşek

https://doi.org/10.30622/tarr.1603562

Abstract

Bu araştırma, okul öncesi dönem çocuklarının gözünden ebeveynlerinin dijital teknoloji kullanımına yönelik algı ve görüşlerini incelemeyi amaçlayan nitel bir çalışmadır. Çalışmada, bireylerin belirli bir fenomeni nasıl algıladıklarını derinlemesine anlamayı sağlayan fenomenolojik desen kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın katılımcılarını, 15’i kız ve 12’si erkek olmak üzere toplam 27 çocuk oluşturmuştur. Çalışma grubundaki çocukların yaşları 48-72 ay arasında değişmektedir. Bu kapsamda, 48-60 ay arasında 9, 61-72 ay arasında ise 18 çocuk araştırmaya dahil edilmiştir. Katılımcılara ulaşmak için kartopu örnekleme yöntemi tercih edilmiştir. Araştırmanın verileri, ebeveynlerin dijital teknoloji kullanımına yönelik sorulardan oluşan yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu aracılığıyla toplanmıştır. Görüşme formunun kapsam geçerliliğini sağlamak için iki okul öncesi eğitimi uzmanından görüş alınmış ve uzmanların önerileri doğrultusunda gerekli düzenlemeler yapılmıştır. Dil açısından bir uzman tarafından değerlendirilen form, üç çocukla yapılan pilot uygulamanın ardından son halini almıştır. Görüşmeler yüz yüze gerçekleştirilmiş, görüşme öncesinde çocuklardan sözlü onam, ebeveynlerinden ise yazılı onam alınmıştır. Görüşmeler sırasında ses kaydı alınarak veriler kayıt altına alınmış ve analiz süreci için yazılı metinlere dönüştürülmüştür. Elde edilen veriler içerik analizi yöntemiyle çözümlenmiştir. Araştırma bulguları, ebeveynlerin dijital teknoloji kullanımının çocukların algılarını, duygularını ve davranışlarını etkileyebildiğini göstermektedir. Ebeveynlerin dijital teknolojilerle uzun süre meşgul olmaları, çocuklar tarafından genellikle ihmal algısı, yalnızlık, kıskançlık ve öfke gibi duygusal tepkilerle karşılanmıştır. Ayrıca, ebeveynlerin yoğun teknoloji kullanımı, aile içi etkileşimlerin azalmasına, yüz yüze iletişim kalitesinin düşmesine ve ebeveynlerin çocukların davranışsal ipuçlarına duyarsızlaşmasına yol açabilir. Bulgular, ebeveynlerin dijital davranışlarının çocukların medya alışkanlıklarını nasıl şekillendirdiğini açık bir şekilde ortaya koymuştur. Bazı çocukların ebeveynlerini taklit ederek benzer davranışlar sergilemeleri, sosyal öğrenme kuramını destekler niteliktedir. Elde edilen bulgular, ebeveynlerin dijital teknoloji kullanımının çocukların sosyal, duygusal ve bilişsel gelişimleri üzerindeki olumsuz etkilerini gözler önüne sermiştir. Çocuklar, ebeveynlerinin dijital teknolojilerle geçirdiği zamanın artmasıyla yalnızlık, ihmal edilmişlik ve güvensizlik duygularını sıkça ifade etmişlerdir. Bunun yanı sıra, çocukların aile içi etkileşimler sırasında ebeveynlerinin cihazlara odaklandığını gözlemlemelerinin, çocukların ebeveynleriyle olan iletişimlerinde kopukluk yaşamasına neden olduğu ifade edilmiştir. Bu bağlamda, yemek saatlerinde, oyun oynarken ya da yatmadan önce ebeveynlerin dijital teknolojilerle ilgilenmeleri, çocukların dikkat çekme çabalarını artıran bir faktör olarak değerlendirilmektedir. Olumsuz etkilerin yanı sıra, bazı çocuklar ebeveynleriyle birlikte dijital teknolojileri eğitici amaçlarla kullanmanın olumlu sonuçlarından bahsetmişlerdir. Çocuklar, ebeveynleriyle birlikte dijital teknolojilerde eğitici uygulamalar veya yaratıcı etkinliklerle vakit geçirmenin keyifli olduğunu belirtmişlerdir. Ancak bu tür olumlu etkilerin ortaya çıkabilmesi için ebeveynlerin dijital teknoloji kullanımını bilinçli bir şekilde yönetmeleri gerekmektedir. Ebeveynlerin, dijital teknoloji kullanımına sınırlar koyarak çocuklarıyla kaliteli zaman geçirmeleri, çocukların sosyal ve duygusal gelişimlerini desteklemek açısından kritik öneme sahiptir. Bu kapsamda, yemek saatleri, yatma zamanı ve oyun gibi aile içi özel anlarda dijital cihazlardan uzak durmak, çocukların duygusal ihtiyaçlarının karşılanmasında etkili olabilir. Bununla birlikte, ebeveynlerin dijital teknoloji kullanımının çocuklar üzerindeki etkileri konusunda bilinçlenmesi için eğitim programları düzenlenmeli ve bu programlarda ebeveynlere, çocuklara rol model olma, ekran sürelerini kontrol etme ve cihazları bilinçli bir şekilde kullanma konularında rehberlik edilmelidir. Sonuç olarak, bu araştırma ebeveynlerin dijital teknoloji kullanım alışkanlıklarını çocukların bakış açısıyla ortaya koymuş ve bu görüşlerden hareketle çocukların sosyal, duygusal ve bilişsel gelişimleri açısından önemli sonuçlar doğurabileceğini göstermiştir. Elde edilen bulgular, ebeveynlerin dijital teknolojilerle olan ilişkilerini bilinçli bir şekilde yönetmelerinin, çocukların sağlıklı bir şekilde gelişmesi ve aile içi bağların güçlenmesi açısından kritik bir önem taşıdığını vurgulamaktadır.

Keywords

Okul öncesi eğitim, Okul öncesi dönem, Ebeveyn-çocuk etkileşimi, Teknoferans, Dijital teknoloji kullanımı

The Use of Digital Technology by Parents from the Perspective of Children

Abstract

This study is a qualitative research project aimed at examining preschool children's perceptions and views of their parents' use of digital technology. The study employs a phenomenological design, allowing an in-depth understanding of how individuals perceive a specific phenomenon. The research participants comprised a total of 27 children, 15 of whom were girls and 12 boys. The ages of the children in the study group ranged from 48 to 72 months. Specifically, nine children aged 48-60 months and 18 children aged 61-72 months were included in the study. A snowball sampling method was used to recruit participants. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview consisting of questions about parents' use of digital technology. To ensure content validity, the interview form was reviewed by two experts in early childhood education, and necessary revisions were made based on their suggestions. A language expert also reviewed the form and finalized it after a pilot study involving three children. The interviews were conducted face-to-face; verbal consent was obtained from the children, and written consent was obtained from their parents before the interviews. During the interviews, audio recordings were taken to document the data, which were later transcribed into written texts for analysis. The collected data were analysed using the content analysis method. The study's findings indicate that parents' use of digital technology can influence children's perceptions, emotions, and behaviours. Children often perceived their parents' prolonged engagement with digital technology as neglect, which evoked emotional responses such as loneliness, jealousy, and anger. Furthermore, excessive parental use of digital technology was found to reduce family interactions, lower the quality of face-to-face communication, and desensitize parents to their children's behavioural cues. The findings also revealed how parental digital behaviours shape children's media habits. Some children imitate their parents' behaviours, which supports the social learning theory. The study highlights the negative effects of parents' use of digital technology on children's social, emotional, and cognitive development. Children frequently expressed feelings of loneliness, neglect, and insecurity as their parents spent more time on digital devices. Additionally, children observed that their parents' focus on devices during family interactions led to communication breakdowns. For example, parental engagement with digital technology during mealtimes, playtime, or bedtime was identified as a factor that increased children's attempts to gain attention. In addition to the negative effects, some children mentioned the positive outcomes of using digital technology with their parents for educational purposes. They noted that spending time with parents on educational apps or creative activities on digital devices was enjoyable. However, for such positive effects to emerge, it is critical for parents to manage their use of digital technology consciously. Setting boundaries on digital technology use and spending quality time with children is essential for supporting their social and emotional development. In this context, avoiding using digital devices during family moments such as mealtimes, bedtime, and playtime can effectively meet children's emotional needs. Furthermore, educational programs should be organized to raise parents' awareness of the effects of digital technology use on children. These programs should guide parents to be role models for their children, control screen time, and consciously use devices. In conclusion, this study sheds light on parents' digital technology usage habits from children's perspective. It demonstrates that these habits can significantly affect children's social, emotional, and cognitive development. The findings underscore the importance of parents consciously managing their relationship with digital technology to support their children's healthy development and strengthen family bonds.

Keywords

Preschool education, Preschool period, Parent-child interaction, Technopherence, Digital technology usage

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